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Saturday, July 4, 2009

Quinoa and Heirloom Tomato Salad (Plus Tips for Staying in Shape While Traveling)

Trying to stay on a healthy eating plan when traveling is not always easy. Actually, let me rephrase that. It's almost never easy. After all the traveling I've been doing, I have a much greater appreciation for what my clients go through when they're out of town. Being on someone else's schedule, not always having control of what or when you eat, not having your normal exercise routine...these are all factors that come into play and make you have to work extra hard to keep those pounds from creeping back on. It's ironic really...we spend months trying to get in shape for our vacation only to gain weight as soon as we get there.

Don't lose faith though. Gaining weight on vacation is not inevitable. Take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy yourself. Here are a few tips for staying in shape while vacationing.

Drink lots of water. You're probably going to be eating and drinking things you don't normally have very often, so don't forget to hydrate to keep things moving.

Start your day off right. A healthy breakfast will set the tone for the rest of the day. As soon as I got to my sister's house, I picked up ingredients for green smoothies, and my favorite Trader Joe's gluten free waffles. I may not be in control of what happens the rest of the day, but I can plan on a healthy breakfast.

Pack healthy snacks. You might not be able to eat as often as you're used to, so bring some healthy snacks with you wherever you go so you don't get into "I'm starving and I'll eat everything in sight" mode. Some good ideas are bananas, apples, larabars (I like the Jam Frakas...they're supposed to be for kids but are half the calories of a regular larabar and a perfect snack size), nuts, and dried fruit.

Stay active. I was the first one awake this morning (I'm still on East Coast time), so I got up and went for a long walk around the neighborhood.

Don't be afraid to make your needs known. My sister doesn't eat every couple of hours the way I do, so I had to let her know I needed to go to the grocery store to pick up some snacks. You might feel like you don't want to inconvenience anyone, but remember that your friends and family will want to help you feel good about yourself.

If you're in a situation where you can cook, make a healthy meal for everyone, like this Quinoa and Heirloom Tomato Salad that I made to accompany the fish we had last night.

I made the recipe last night, I feel like the 2 cups of Quinoa might be off? One cup would probably be best because I really want to ad a lot more onion and tomatoes. Other than that the flavors are great!

Anonymous - It's been a while since I've made this. I'm pretty sure I meant two cups, but to be honest, I'm not positive. Of course you should feel free to play around with the amounts and ingredients as much as you want! I'm glad you enjoyed it otherwise! I should really make it again soon to be sure...